Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I was a member of local authorities for a long time and I do not believe members of a board are required for an effective role for local authorities in overseeing and driving an enterprise strategy. Those involved will have access to metrics and key executives. I would look to local councillors to be a big part of the enthusiastic drivers of a better enterprise strategy coming from local authorities. I see the role of local authorities not as being token members of a board but rather recognising that this is something in which there should be an interest from a strategic perspective within the county. Every councillor should be interested in the issue and report back, asking whether more can be done and driving the pace. Perhaps I have a different view or experience of local authorities. Local councillors can play a very good role in the area.

The evaluation committee will have local business people on it and we will retain that connection to the business community. We also expect that LEOs will be part of building a wider pro-enterprise network with the local authority. This means we could have a series of networks and initiatives filtering from the business community that would be taken on by the local authority and enterprise office. Part of the role is to build that necessary entrepreneurship environment. For example, I would see a very close connection between the LEO and the community enterprise centres, of which we have more than 100 scattered around the country. I saw a recent report on them and they have space which we can use as an asset, and I expect local enterprise offices to drive the use of those assets within a county to the advantage of enterprise.

I disagree with Deputy Calleary's view. Ultimately, oversight will be provided by the service level agreement through Enterprise Ireland. Local councillors and businesses will have roles and the process will be run professionally, with a national standard being applied and a centre of excellence driving innovation within the network. It is a balanced package and even if I was on the opposite side of the House, I would argue in favour of this approach rather than having a token councillor on a board. In my experience with local authorities, such membership is not anything as effective as when the council acts as a unit and takes on the view of driving initiatives across a county. That is a better role, and local councillors should take a greater responsibility in scrutinising activities occurring in the area. We are trying to devolve into local authorities an important enterprise delivery process. If councillors take this on, it could be a model for other types of devolution, which would have councillors holding to account parts of the State in a better way for a county.